Page 18 of Cowboy Triplets Next Door

“I love you, Charlie!” I did a happy dance in my seat as I held decadent chocolate in each hand. This was my happy place. If I never truly got laid, I’d still have chocolate.

Owen’s growl of displeasure didn’t bother me. Gray’s annoyed sounds didn’t even enter my consciousness. It was Keaton’s heated gaze that made me stop wiggling. He was staring at me like I was a chocolate muffin. As soon as I noticed it, though, the look vanished.

I put my second muffin and hot chocolate down but kept them close as I looked around the table. “Okay. What’s today’s meeting about?”

Gray cleared his throat. “A potential new hire stopped by the ranch this morning. We hadn’t advertised we needed anyone yet but he stopped by to see if your family was still running the place. Said he used to work there. A guy named Brad?”

CHAPTER 16

Billie

I sat up straighter and felt my cheeks flush. “Brad Flowers?”

Owen frowned. “Yeah.”

I did my best to keep my face neutral. “Yeah, I think I remember him.”

His frown grew and his eyes narrowed. “You think you remember him?”

I turned to my muffin for the first time for reasons other than love. I shoved a large chunk into my mouth and nodded. Of course, I remembered Brad Flowers. He had been the dreamiest farmhand ever when I was fifteen. He was four years older than me so he never came close to touching me but I’d been more than willing to let him. Eve and I had become friends with him since we were close in age but I’d prayed every night for three years that he would fall for me.

“Maybe we don’t need extra help.” Owen sat back in the booth and turned his frown on Charlie when Charlie showed up with a refill for their drinks.

“What did I do?” Charlie held up his hands and backed away. “No refills. I get it.”

I swallowed and nearly choked but rushed to get words out. “I thought you did need help? From what I remember, Brad was a good worker.”

“So, you do remember him?” Keaton’s smirk was aimed at me but his eyes were on his brother sitting next to him. “Interesting.”

“It’s not interesting.” I looked past them so I didn’t have to lie to their faces. “I remember he was a good worker. That’s all.”

Gray’s hand came to rest on the back of my neck, a move he never would’ve made before our tryst. When I wouldn’t look at him, he tightened his grip until I gave in. When my eyes finally met his, he studied my face and then shook his head and let me go. “We’re not hiring him.”

I shifted in the booth to face him full on. “Why not? What does me remembering him or not have anything to do with how he works?”

“We’re not hiring him, Bumble B. That’s the end of it.” He then committed a sin worse than any other. He reached over and grabbed one of my muffins. Bringing it to his lips, he took a big bite and then cocked his head at me, as if asking why I was still looking at him.

“Are you serious right now?” My voice shook as I reached over and snatched the rest of it out of his hand. I shoved as much as I could into my mouth and ducked under the table so I could crawl out between their legs. I stood up on the other side with a grunt and leaned over to grab the rest of my muffins. “Prick.”

Charlie handed me a bag as I marched towards him. “Six more and I put it on your tab so you can just go.”

I lifted a muffin at him. “You’re the best.”

I juggled my muffins as I made it to my truck and when I looked up and realized someone was leaning against it, I nearly dropped everything. Brad Flowers. He still looked dreamy was the first thing that flashed through my mind. The second thing was that I was a mess and it wasn’t the most ideal way to make a second first impression on my childhood crush.

“Billie?” Brad straightened and grinned at me. He was handsome, beyond handsome, and I tried to let that grin sizzle through my body. It didn’t immediately demand the same response that the Hellstone brothers did. “Little Billie Myers. Look at you.”

Ignoring my stupid body and its lack of reaction to such a handsome man, I welcomed the hug Brad wrapped me in. He squeezed and picked me up, hugging me like I was still a little kid but when he put me down and I slowly trailed down his body, his eyes widened slightly. “I’m not so little anymore. Did you throw your back out?”

He ran his eyes over me and I recognized the interest that filled his gaze. “You’d have to try a lot harder than that to throw my back out. I just… Wow. You’re all grown up, huh?”

That brought my blush rushing back. “I guess so. What are you doing back here?”

Before he could answer, I felt the air shift behind me and a wave of awareness hit me when I glanced back and met Gray’s eyes. The light blue eye seemed darker than normal as he looked at where Brad still had his hands on my waist.

“Oh, hey, man. Do you two know each other?” Brad looked between me and Gray but still didn’t take his hands off me. “I went out to the old family ranch earlier to find you and found this guy instead. I asked about you, though. You didn’t mention knowing Billie, man.”

Gray’s hand landed at the back of my neck again and he lightly stroked a single finger over my sensitive skin while glaring at Brad. “Must not have heard you. B lives with us.”

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